Commenting on the national figures, Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “Rising crime, increased terrorist activity and fewer police officers have put serious strain on the policing we offer to the public.

“We are determining the additional capabilities and investment we need to drive down violence and catch more criminals – and we will make the case at the next Government Spending Review.”

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said: “These statistics show that your chance of being a victim of crime remains low, but we recognise that certain crimes – particularly violent crime – have increased, and we are taking action to address this.”

Criminal damage in Rother, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has gone down, from 757 incidents in 2016-17, to 659 in the latest figures.

While violence with injury, which includes assault, GBH and wounding, has risen, the ONS said this could be due to improved police recording.

Similarly, the ONS said sexual offences are hard to judge as many more victims are now coming forward due to a series of high profile cases.

In Rother, there were 228 incidents recorded between October 2017 and September 2018, a 26 per cent rise on the previous year, when 181 crimes were reported.

There were also 369 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “Society just isn’t as safe as it once was, and although the police service is doing everything within its power, we are swimming against the tide.”